Adhesive tape for general household or office use is usually held in a dispenser, which may be a small, hand held device or a relatively larger desk top appliance.
Hand held tape dispensers are typically formed as a shell comprising two parallel side walls each having a generally circular body portion and a forward extending portion. The side walls are connected at their edges by a front wall, a rear wall, and a base upon which the dispenser can stand upright. A hub extends between the body portions of the side walls in a direction perpendicular thereto, and a tape cutter in the form of a serrated edge likewise extends between the forward portions at a position atop or above the front wall. A roll of tape is rotatably carried on the hub to be unwound toward the cutting edge.
Desk top tape dispensers typically comprise a solid massive body of elongate shape. An elongate slot or recess sized to accommodate a standard roll of tape extends downwardly from the upper surface of the dispenser body. A removable hub adapted to support a roll of tape is rotatably supported within the slot. A tape cutter is provided at the forward end of the dispenser. The cutter is normally a small piece of metal having a serrated forward edge performing two functions. It allows one to cut off the length of tape desired and also acts as a keeper retaining the end of the remaining roll of tape for subsequent dispensing.
Each of these known tape dispensers has several disadvantages. The most inconvenient and wasteful disadvantage of hand held tape dispensers is the tendency of such devices to become misplaced during use. A hand held dispenser is necessarily small and lightweight, and thus is easily hidden from view beneath documents or other items found at the workplace or home. This is a particular problem in the home where hand held tape dispensers left on the floor of a child's room or a workshop are often lost or stepped upon and broken.
Also, hand held tape dispensers for home or office use are disposable, and thus rigidly hold one tape roll of standard width. This limitation requires the user to purchase a separate unit for each size and type of tape desired, and further causes waste of the tape roll remaining when a dispenser is broken.
Disadvantages of known desk top tape dispensers primarily involve their size and weight. As noted above, such appliances are designed to remain in place on the desk surface. While satisfactory in some circumstances, such as an office mailroom, these dispensers cannot conveniently be moved about as may be required in a busy working environment, and are not suitable for sporadic household use. The required size and weight of desk top tape dispensers contributes to their expense, which is a multiple of the cost of hand held dispensers.
A further disadvantage common to all known tape dispensers is the especially unsightly appearance thereof. Hand held dispensers are most often composed of clear plastic exposing both the tape roll an advertising print to view. These items are not kept in a readily visible location in either the home or the office. Instead, they are stored out of sight in drawers, closets, or on shelves where they are both inconveniently out of reach and easily lost or broken. Known desk top tape dispensers also expose the tape roll to view, and have a neutral and indistinct appearance with no appeal as a household item.
Known tape dispensers are thus seen to fail to provide an inexpensive and convenient device which is also visually attractive. For this reason, known tape dispensers have no special appeal as gifts or children's school supply items and thus miss a very large commercial market.